Because God Said So: Religious Facets of Sexual and Gender Harassment in Christian Academia

Because God Said So: Religious Facets of Sexual and Gender Harassment in Christian Academia

Abstract

The present study explored experiences of sexism (sexual and gender harassment) in a Christian university student population. This study assessed the frequency of sexism, documented how sexism is expressed in a Christian context, and evaluated the relationships between sexism and two outcomes, campus climate and college satisfaction. Additionally, it was hypothesized that attribution of gender harassment to the perpetrator’s religious belief system would potentiate the negative effects of harassment. 187 female students completed an online questionnaire,
including the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire—Short Form (SEQ), the General Campus Climate Scale (GCCS), and the MMPI-2 College Maladjustment Scale (CMS). Results indicated very low rates of sexual harassment. Also, religious attributions for gender harassment had a significantly negative relationship with the outcome variables although they did not moderate these outcomes.
Qualitative descriptions of students’ experiences with gender harassment were recorded, shedding light on what gender harassing behaviors look like in Christian academia.